After you acquire chromatography data or mass spectrometry (MS) data you can process it. All processing steps are performed in the Chromatography Studio and saved in a processing method.

To open the Chromatography Studio from the Chromeleon Console, double-click any object in a sequence, or select the button.

A processing method is used to detect and quantify peaks and to evaluate the recorded chromatographic data. The tool used to create and modify methods for evaluating chromatographic results is the Processing Method Editor (see Processing data). Use this editor to define the parameters that are used in a processing method and to find answers to questions such as the following:

  • Below which height, width, or area will a peak be ignored?
  • Which peaks are classified as riders?
  • What is the concentration or amount of the standard samples?
  • Which calibration function is used for creating a calibration curve?
  • Which peaks are identified by name?

In addition, the Processing Method Editor provides several powerful tools, such as the Cobra peak detection algorithm and the SmartPeaks™ integration assistant, that help you to consistently detect peaks or determine the baseline. You can set all required evaluation parameters in the processing method before starting an analysis.

NOTE

When you make a change to the processing method, the results for all injections in the sequence that use that processing method are recalculated instantaneously. Therefore, in such cases, there is no need to reprocess the sequence or manually update results.

Processing data in Chromeleon
Use an existing processing methodCreate a new processing methodUse an existing processing method as a templateUse a processing method templateModify the processing methodSave the processing methodnoyes

Chromeleon provides several predefined templates for processing method layouts for the presentation of chromatographic data. You can choose from two categories of templates, which are as follows:

  • Layout: Templates that provide a set of pages that are each used to perform a particular type of data processing. Each page provides controls for a specific function (for example, component identification or calibration). Unlike default templates, layout templates do not include any predefined components, and they can be used for processing all types of data.
  • Default: Templates that can be used only for processing data that was run using a specific retention time standard. (Retention time standards are developed with certain ratios of analytes so that their peak area ratios can be mapped to predefined ratios, which helps to determine the expected retention times of the components within a sample.) Default templates help automate the creation of processing methods by eliminating the need to enter and update component retention times, which are inconsistent when samples are run under different conditions, across different systems, or both.